Mark Waugh looks at the big issues in Australian cricket after the T20 World Cup

Where is Australian cricket at after moving on from Justin Langer? Mark Waugh looks at the big talking points from the start of the Andrew McDonald era.

Justin Langer may be gone, but his shadow still hangs over Australian cricket.

JL might not have been overly popular with the players but the public still has lingering affection for him and that tension is contributing to fans struggling to connect with this group of players like they have with previous teams.

Once the playing group gets rid of a coach and a new one is brought in who they wanted – and then the team starts losing – there’s naturally going to be a lot of scrutiny on the players.

The fact is the players were behind JL’s resignation. They felt he was overly intense and they went to the board to say they wanted to go in a different direction.

That is their prerogative, but the public I think feel what happened was unfair.

JL had taken over at a time when Australia needed to be pointed in the right direction after the South African sandpapergate issue, and as coach he provided discipline and direction and a certain level of intensity which the squad needed.

Everything is all right while you’re winning, but if you start losing and the playing group has had a big imprint into who the new coach is … then I think questions are going to be asked.

The Justin Langer saga is in the back of the public’s mind, that sentiment of unfairness is still lingering, and Australia’s World Cup elimination has reignited this feeling that the players are not as popular as they’d like to be seen.

Australia has had mixed results under Andrew McDonald. Picture: AFP Photos

On that level, it’s a big summer for Australia and a big summer for the new coach, Andrew McDonald.

Since McDonald has taken over you’d have to say the results have been mixed.

To win 1-0 in Pakistan was a good effort, but 1-1 in Sri Lanka I don’t think you could say was a good result. Then to not make the semis of a T20 World Cup was a disappointing result.

McDonald is obviously a different style of coach to JL. He’s got an even temperament and more of a low-key approach.

But as a coach, you’ve still got to draw the line. It’s hard to be mates with everybody and be their boss, and you need to be able to make a distinction.

The perception from the outside among ex-cricketers, is the line is a bit blurred at the moment and there are questions about whether McDonald is too friendly and matey with all the players and is not going to make the hard decisions. The perception is that perhaps this has been shown in a few selections.

Even now with Aaron Finch, selectors are not saying Australia will head in a different direction after the World Cup. They’re still saying they’ll wait and see how Finch goes in the BBL.

I think people are most disappointed with the way we played in the World Cup.

No doubt individuals were trying their best, but it just didn’t look like the strong team unit we have come to expect from the Australians.

When there’s a lack of intensity and passion from the players, you really need to look to your coach and leaders for answers.

People want to see the Australian team playing with pride and showing some energy, which I didn’t see in the World Cup. Maybe it was just nerves.

I don’t really know what was going on in that World Cup, but I feel like there was something underneath the surface which wasn’t quite right.

Ex-players have supported Justin Langer after his coaching exit. Picture: Getty Images

IN STARC WE TRUST

I was absolutely astounded Mitchell Starc didn’t play in that World Cup game in Adelaide. I still have him as one of our best and most effective fast bowlers.

Starc is one of those bowlers who I think opposition teams would prefer not to see on the team sheet.

This theory that not playing in the IPL has affected Starc’s T20 performances I think is a strange parallel to draw. Starc has done the right thing by Australia by not going to the IPL. He’s been keeping his body fresh and it’s shown in his Test match performances where he’s been excellent.

And let’s be real, he still knows how to bowl in a T20 game.

ARE WE GETTING TOO OLD?

The age of the group overall is always something you’ve got to look at because ideally you don’t want a bunch of players all retiring at the same time.

It’s a concern, but these days the players are very fit so age is less of a worry.

David Warner and Usman Khawaja at the top of the order are obviously getting closer to the end of their careers than the start, but I thought Marcus Harris played really well last year on difficult pitches without making a lot of runs.

Matthew Renshaw is another opener who is starting to show some good signs.

Then there seems to be a few younger guys batting in the top order in the Sheffield Shield ranks, like Tim Ward, Henry Hunt and Teague Wyllie, so I think you’ll see one or two of these players stepping up in the next couple of years.